Drone Illegally Flies Over Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade

NEW YORK—The Thanksgiving holiday didn’t get off to such a great start for one drone enthusiast. According to ABC7 New York, a 41-year-old man was cited and issued a summons by the New York Police Department after he allegedly flew a drone over the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in Manhattan on the morning of Thursday, Nov. 26. The operator was charged with flying a drone, which is an administrative violation.

The operator, who comes from Russia, was with his 14-year-old son when located by police. The man claimed he was not aware of New York’s drone restrictions,WCBS 880’s Stephanie Colombini reported. The police confiscated the drone and took the man in for questioning, but it was returned to him upon his release.

This instance occurs while the drone debate continues to take place within government agencies. The Unmanned Aircraft Systems Registration Task Force Aviation Rulemaking Committee, which was created by the FAA, released a report just three days prior to this instance calling for the registration of drones. Other similar instances of drones flying where they are not supposed to includes the drone that landed on the White House lawn back in January.